French brand Ekoi has launched its most advanced road cycling shoe yet. The new R4 comes with two ATOP dial closures with low friction lace guides. Ekoi quotes a weight of 500g a pair in size 40. It’s part of the new Ekoi Premium range of top spec cycling kit.
Ekoi claims that its new shoes are ultra light, very comfortable and provide excellent power transfer. The latter is due to its unidirectional 3K carbon sole. Its stiffness is rated at 10/10 and there’s a low stack height of 4.8mm. It’s also very light at a claimed 96g. You get mesh covered toe and midsole vents and a large, replaceable rubber heel protector.
Ekoi claims an ultra-light, very stiff and low stack height sole on the new R4
The shoe’s upper is made of synthetic leather, perforated for ventilation and lined for added comfort. There’s extra padding over the inside of the tongue to help avoid pressure points. The lining has a grippy surface to help stop your foot from slipping around and there’s a hidden interior heel cup to add yet more stability.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H49-QX6ecs
Ekoi sells direct to the UK via Ekoi.com, with free delivery on higher value items. The full UK price for the new R4 shoes is £249, but UK prices fluctuate with exchange rate and Ekoi often discounts its prices, with the R4 currently discounted by 30% to £173.90. There’s the option to pay in interest free instalments as well.
Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
